EPISODE #2

Mauro Illiano: Coffee culture evolution

“There is always an act of respect at the heart of every coffee ritual.”

Mauro, a professional coffee taster and founder of Napoli Coffee Experience, talks about how coffee traditions began and which ones dominate today.

The episode
Mauro takes his coffee very seriously because he knows that coffee perfection is the result of traditions passed down generation after generation. It all started back to the fifteenth century, when Sufis in Yemen consumed coffee in groups before starting their long nightly prayers. A century later, the first coffee houses appeared in Baghdad, Damascus and Constantinople which is where the social aspect of coffee really took off. Traditions vary greatly from country to country. Of course everyone knows about the preparation of espresso drunk in Italy, but very few know that in Ethiopia or Eritrea coffee is offered to friends or traveller and while the coffee is being offered, choruses and chants are recited. Mauro is constantly discovering new traditions along his personal coffee journey, which explains why he’s always trying new experiences.